


Too Close for Comfort

by emeraldgirl503



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Episode: s06e16 Metamorphosis, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-16 18:27:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29458227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emeraldgirl503/pseuds/emeraldgirl503
Summary: A glimpse at S6E16 (the episode where they get trapped by Nirrti) from Jack's perspective.
Relationships: Samantha "Sam" Carter/Jack O'Neill
Comments: 3
Kudos: 29





	Too Close for Comfort

**Author's Note:**

> I tried writing this without using dialogue from the show, but it really just ended up feeling really choppy. So dialogue from the show is included, but I've underlined the lines I took directly from the episode so you don't give me credit for conversations I didn't write.

Jack eases around the corner, quietly making his way back to where he had left Carter. None of the team is responding on their radios, and Jack has a bad feeling about this whole situation.  _ Damn Russians _ , he thinks to himself, even though he knows it’s not the Russians’ fault that Nirrti exists. But it’s either come up with a target for his misplaced anger or give in to the panic rising inside him at the thought of Carter being in trouble, and only one of those options will allow him to maintain a clear enough head to help Carter and the rest of the team.

Of course he’s too late, and the panic threatens to take over when he sees Carter’s unconscious form slumped against Nirrti, a zat gun held to her head. Calling upon his years of military training, Jack breathes slowly and steadies himself so he can keep a calm head and try to negotiate with Nirrti.

“Well, that was a dumb plan, O’Neill,” is his last thought before the charge from the zat gun hits him.

He wakes up in a dingy prison cell and tries to take stock of his surroundings before he sits up. He hears the noise of other prisoners moving around, and he detects the faint smell of a combination of human sweat and mold. Without even looking, he knows Carter’s in the same cell, because he can always sense her presence. “ Carter? ” he confirms.

Her response is immediate. “ Sir? ” He’s relieved to hear that her voice is strong and steady, meaning he hasn’t missed anything too terrible while he’s been unconscious.

“ I really don’t like that woman, ” he replies as he sits up.

Carter sighs. “ Yes, sir .”

From his left, he hears the distinct sound of Teal’c’s voice saying his name. He looks over to see both Jonas and Teal’c have also been captured, which rules out the possibility of them mounting a rescue mission. “ This is an unpleasant surprise .”

“ Indeed ,” Teal’c agrees.

Jack stands and starts scoping out the cell while the team discusses Nirrti’s apparent progress. He’s only half-listening, the rest of his brain focused on carefully cataloging his surroundings in hopes of finding an escape route. It’s only when he hears Carter say, “ Who knows what abilities these others possess? ” that he tunes back in. 

Since there’s no obvious escape route so far, Jack decides to try appealing to their fellow prisoners. It wouldn’t be the first time he’s managed to talk himself out of a tight spot. For whatever reason, people are often charmed by his casual attitude and sardonic manner of delivery, so he’s learned to wield his calm, carefree facade as a weapon. 

Unfortunately, the other prisoners quickly lose interest in what he’s saying. When he sees Wodan and Egar approaching, he decides to swing his charm that way. Carter jumps in, trying to reason with them, but it’s no use. They’re still convinced Nirrti is a benevolent god saving their people. Wodan opens the gates to the cell and Evanov comes stumbling in, looking quite weak.

Just as Jack and Carter are easing Evanov down onto the bench in the cell, Egar speaks. “ You are next .”

Jack snaps his head around to see Egar pointing at Carter. “ Ah, I think I’m next, ” he replies immediately, hoping to deflect their attention from his second-in-command. He’d have volunteered himself in place of any of his team members, but he doubts it would have been such an automatic response if it had been anyone else. He’s not sure when exactly his top mission priority went from  _ Cover your team’s six _ to  _ Protect Carter at all costs _ , but at this point it’s as ingrained as breathing.

Wodan isn’t having it, though, and Jack quickly realizes he’s powerless against Wodan’s telekinetic powers. Once again, he tries to appeal to Egar. “ All right, look. If you really can see in my mind, you know we came here to help you. ”

“ I did sense that when you first arrived. But when I looked deeper into your mind I realized you would sacrifice us all if necessary to destroy Nirrti, ” Egar replies.

“ That’s not true, ” Jack protests, though a tiny voice in the back of his head whispers, _ Yes you would, as long as you could guarantee Sam’s safety _ . He’s glad Egar doesn’t decide to share that one with the class.

“ Come, ” Egar orders.

Carter, seeming to realize they’re out of options, calmly complies. “ At least I’ll find out how the machine works, ” she offers, trying to project a lighthearted air, and damn it if he doesn’t feel his heart squeeze with affection at the attempt. He watches forlornly as Nirrti’s goons force Carter down the hall.

When they disappear around the corner, Jack finally turns back to his cell to tend to the injured Evanov. There’s not much he can do except try to make him comfortable, so he’s quickly left with nothing but time on his hands once again. He begins pacing the cell, wondering what Carter’s going through. He can feel Teal’c’s steady, assessing gaze, but Teal’c remains silent. Jonas, on the other hand, offers a string of worthless platitudes in an attempt to calm Jack down. “I’m sure she’ll be okay, Colonel. Sam’s tough. She’s been through worse and come out on the other side.”

In most settings, Jack would find such inanities annoying, but he recognizes that Jonas is just coping with his own sense of powerlessness. If Daniel were here, he’d probably end up doing something similar. That or nervously babble about the mythology and history and rituals surrounding Nirrti in ancient culture, which would be equally useless to Jack right now.

After what feels like hours but is probably only 30 minutes or so, Jack has worn a shallow track in the dirt floor, and Sam still isn’t back. He sighs and goes to sit in the corner of the cell, where Evanov starts apologizing. After they discuss the possibility of rescue, Jack can’t help himself from asking the question he both does and does not want the answer to. “ What’d they do to you up there? ”

Evanov’s description is vague, though, and Jack doesn’t push the issue. Whatever’s happening to Carter right now, there’s absolutely nothing he can do about it, and knowing the details will probably just torture him until she comes back. So he just sits and waits, anxiously.

Finally, he hears the shuffle of feet coming down the hallway. He leaps to his feet as he sees Wodan and Egar half-dragging a weak-looking Carter back to the cell. As soon as the cell door is open, Jack’s arms are there, catching her before she falls. He gets her into a seated position, then returns to the cell bars. “ Hey fellas! Want to do me a favor? Go on back, let her know that I'm next, you should pick me. ”

“ Her will is my command, ” Wodan asserts in response.

“ Yeah, well… there's your mistake right there. ” Jack watches helplessly as they call for Jonas and as Jonas and Teal’c unsuccessfully attempt to fight their way out. When Jonas is led away, he turns back to his second-in-command. “ Carter? ”

She struggles to open her eyes. “ Sir? ” she says weakly.

“ You made it through. You’re going to be alright, ” he assures her with far more confidence than he feels.

His heart sinks when the normally indefatigable Carter replies, “ No, sir, I don’t think I am. ”

Jack’s glad Egar’s not around to hear his thoughts right now, because his brain is flooded with an overwhelming need to destroy Nirrti. That would ruin any chance he had at convincing Egar to trust him. So instead he sets those thoughts aside and focuses on Carter. Her eyes are closed again, and her body is shaking with slight tremors. Jack wants to just gather her up in his arms and somehow absorb all the pain she’s clearly feeling, but he knows that’s not possible. Like with Evanov, he does everything he can to make her more comfortable. He stands from the bench and slides one arm under her legs and brings the other hand up to cup her head. “C’mon, Carter, let’s get you more comfortable before you fall over.”

Carter just hums in response, but she weakly tries to help him reposition her. “It’s okay, Carter. I’ve got you,” he murmurs. “Just rest.” He carefully lies her down along the length of the bench, propping a blanket under her head as a makeshift pillow before moving to sit by her feet.

After ten minutes or so, Carter seems to have recovered a little. She keeps her eyes open longer with less effort, and the trembling dies down. Despite her obvious discomfort, Carter, his amazing, beautiful, strong, brilliant Carter, soothingly tells Evanov to try to relax when he starts coughing and pulls herself up to a seated position beside Jack.

Teal’c comes over to the side of his cell closest to theirs, and Carter attempts to participate in their conversation. Jack can tell she’s not feeling well, and when she winces slightly in pain, he gives her a concerned look. “ What? ”

She half-heartedly shakes her head. “ Nothing. I’m fine. ”

“ Get some rest, ” he says softly, and he’s slightly relieved when he sees a hint of defiance in her gaze. “ That’s an order, ” he adds when she still looks as if she’s mustering the energy to fight it.

He watches as the fight drains out of her, and any temporary sense of relief disappears when Carter, who other than the times with the Za’tarc and the memory stamp has been the epitome of professionalism around him, gives in and leans against his shoulder. He’s just contemplating whether he can get away with leaning his head against hers when Evanov starts breathing heavily. 

Sam pushes up and turns to look at their colleague as he starts coughing up water. “ Oh God, ” she murmurs in horror.

Jack slides his hand along the bench and squeezes her hand in comfort. She looks over at him, and he sees the fear in her eyes buried beneath the telltale sheen of tears. “We’re going to get you out of here, Carter,” he vows. When she looks unconvinced, he laces his fingers tightly with hers. “Trust me, Sam.”

“I do. With my life,” she replies quietly, her eyes saying everything she can’t say in words.

He gives her a tender smile before scooting out of the way. “Lie down and get some rest, Carter.”

“Yes, sir.”

He’s seated on the bench next to her, watching her sleep and reassuring himself that she’s still alive, when Jonas finally returns. During their argument with Wodan and Egar, some part of Jack’s brain registers with concern that Sam has remained asleep, which is very unusual for an experienced military officer like Carter. The sense of dread builds as they make the walk to Nirrti’s chambers. He knows this is his last chance to save Carter, and at this point that’s the only thing that matters. “ Fix what you've done to Carter, let the rest of my team go, that's all I ask, and you can do whatever you want to me, ” he demands of Nirrti.

When she just smiles menacingly, he shoots Egar one last pleading look. Apparently it’s finally enough, because suddenly Egar yells, “ Stop! ” 

Jack’s elation that they’re finally fighting back is quickly overshadowed by his fear that Wodan is going to kill Nirrti before he can fix Carter. “ Stop, ” Jack pleads. “ We need her alive. Wodan, she's the only one who can help your people. ”  _ She’s the only one who can help Carter _ .

The despair that he feels upon seeing Wodan snap Nirrti’s neck is the worst he’s felt in his life, with the exception of the time he got the phone call about Charlie. “ Why did you do that? ” he asks angrily. He is completely out of cards to play. There’s no way he can get Sam back to SGC in time, and even if he could, Dr. Frasier wouldn’t know how to help her anyway. He’s about to lose the love of his life, and there’s not a goddamn thing he can do about it.

“ She deserves to die, ” Wodan replied.

Jack doesn’t disagree with that assessment, but he needed her first. “ She was Carter’s only chance! ” 

Egar’s voice penetrates his grief. “ Not so, O'Neill. Before she died, I looked into Nirrti's mind and took what I needed. Hurry, while there is still time. ”

It takes Jack a moment to process Egar’s words, but then he’s sprinting back down the hall towards the cells. He rushes in to where Carter is lying and immediately scoops her up. “Sir…” she acknowledges weakly. As he lifts her into his arms, her head lolls against his chest. He’s halfway back to Nirrti’s machine when he hears her whispering. “Jack… Jack, I…”

The fact that she’s using his first name tells him where she’s going with this, and he refuses to let her because she’ll regret it once she’s back to normal. “No, Carter,” he interrupts. “You’re not going to die.” She starts coughing then, and Jack picks up the pace. “You’re going to be okay, Carter. Just hold on.” He swears he ages fifteen years in the fifteen seconds it takes to finally reach the machine, and he gently sets her down and hopes they’ve made it in time.

A few minutes later, Carter is standing strongly on her own two feet, thanking Egar. As she steps down from the platform, Jack reaches for her before he can stop himself. He’s relieved when she slides her right hand into his. When they step back and turn to face Egar and Wodan, she doesn’t let go, even though it causes her arm to be twisted uncomfortably behind her back. Jack’s certainly not going to complain. Not even when she shoots him a skeptical look of disbelief at his inappropriate  _ Wizard of Oz  _ reference, because it’s quintessentially Carter and he almost lost his chance to see it again.

**Author's Note:**

> You were all so nice to me when I posted my first fic in this fandom last week that I thought I'd bring you another. I'm not as thrilled with this one, but I've been sitting on it for days and I can't figure out how to fix it, so I'm just posting it anyway. Thanks so much for reading!
> 
> Also, it's a completely throwaway line in this fic but it makes me angry so I'm going to rant about it here in the comments: you'll notice I said "when he got the call about Charlie", which is not in line with canon, which seems to be that he was home when Charlie shot himself. Except in my opinion, there is literally no universe in which Jack O'Neill would leave a loaded gun anywhere in his house, even in a locked safe, and he would separately and responsibly stash his weapons and his ammo in locked safes that were not even remotely accessible to young children. So my head canon is that Charlie died in a car crash, and Jack feels an overwhelming sense of guilt because he was away on a mission when it happened or something like that. (I don't know exactly, there's a lot of reasons Jack could feel guilty, but I just absolutely refuse to believe he would be so irresponsible with his weapons because that's just not in line with his character.)


End file.
